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California solar decisions
Solar Companies in El Cajon, CA: Who Installed the Most Systems in 2025
Utility records show 630 home solar systems connected in El Cajon in 2025. Sunrun Inc. was the installer of record on 122 of them, followed by SunPower Corporation (42) and Bright Planet Solar (32). The table lists each company's CSLB license number. It is a count from public records, not a ranking or endorsement: check each license and get at least three quotes.
California Rate Relief is a private solar referral service.
Key facts
- Permit route
- SolarAPP+, about 30 minutes
- Licensed contractors only; batteries eligible since January 2026
- City of El Cajonchecked Sep 23, 2026
- Supplies the generation
- San Diego Community Power
- SDG&E delivers and sends the one bill
- California Energy Commissionchecked Sep 23, 2026
- New solar rate
- EV-TOU-5
- Required for San Diego Community Power Solar Billing Plan customers
- San Diego Community Powerchecked Sep 23, 2026
Installers who connected the most home solar systems in El Cajon in 2025
| Installer (name as reported) | Systems in 2025 | Jan 2024 to May 2026 | CSLB license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrun Inc. | 122 | 337 | 750184 check |
| SunPower Corporation | 42 | 81 | 961988 check |
| Bright Planet Solar | 32 | 115 | 1020761 check |
| green source eletric | 31 | 62 | 1075064 check |
| Baker Electric, Inc. | 30 | 52 | 858088 check |
| Semper Solaris Construction Inc | 27 | 70 | 978152 check |
| SolarCity | 16 | 38 | 888104 check |
| Solartech | 15 | 46 | 1106777 check |
Counts from utility records, not a ranking or endorsement. Check each license's status and complaint history on the CSLB's Check a License page (checked Sept. 24, 2026).
Source: California Distributed Generation Statistics (CPUC), Interconnected Project Sites data set, data through May 31, 2026 (checked Sept. 24, 2026).
Home solar in El Cajon by the numbers
SDG&E approved 630 home solar systems in El Cajon in 2025, from 109 installers; the top three were named on 31% of them. The busiest year since 2021 was 2023, with 1,675 (2025: -62%). Another 201 were approved from January through May 2026.
2025 mix: 31% leased or on a power purchase agreement, 69% owned by the household; 0% with a battery; median size 6.7 kW DC. San Diego County: 36% leased or PPA, 0% with a battery, median 5.36 kW.
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems connected | 1,032 | 1,484 | 1,675 | 726 | 630 |
Hiring a solar company in El Cajon
El Cajon issues rooftop solar permits through SolarAPP+ in about 30 minutes, with no plans required, and since January 2026 the same instant route covers home batteries. Only licensed contractors can use it, which makes the permit a quick test of the company quoting your roof. SDG&E delivers the power and San Diego Community Power supplies it. Compare three written bids on the checks below.
Start with your El Cajon electricity bill
Start with the SDG&E schedule shown on the electric bill. Separate electricity bought from the grid, electricity used directly from the roof and electricity exported. Keep any generation provider shown on the account in the calculation; a neighboring city’s billing arrangement is not enough.
El Cajon's instant permit, and who can use it
The City of El Cajon sends residential solar applicants to its SolarAPP+ online permit site. The City says a conforming project can be permitted in about 30 minutes with no plans required, that SolarAPP+ allows three free revisions, and that only projects matching the published eligibility list can use the automated route. Battery energy storage systems became eligible through SolarAPP+ in January 2026.
Two conditions matter when you compare bids. The route is for licensed contractors and installers only; an owner-builder applies through regular permitting. And once the installer completes SolarAPP+'s inspection declaration and final review, the City says no other City inspections are required. That puts more weight on the installer's own inspection work, so ask each bidder who performs and signs that inspection and what documentation you will receive. The Building and Fire Safety Division is at 619-441-1726 or Building@elcajon.gov.
San Diego Community Power's rules for a new El Cajon system
El Cajon customers receive one SDG&E bill, with San Diego Community Power shown as a line item for generation. A new system goes on the Solar Billing Plan, which San Diego Community Power says requires the highly differentiated EV-TOU-5 time-of-use rate, prices exports from the state's Avoided Cost Calculator rather than retail rates, bills monthly with no annual billing option, and locks the plan for nine years. Legacy NEM customers keep their plan for 20 years from permission to operate.
At the annual true-up, San Diego Community Power adds a bonus of $0.0075 per kWh to SDG&E's surplus rate, sends a check when the surplus is over $100 and otherwise carries it forward. Ask each bidder to confirm it modeled EV-TOU-5 and the Solar Billing Plan export values, not a retail-rate credit.
What an El Cajon quote needs to explain
| Check | Ask each bidder |
|---|---|
| Cooling and solar scope | Itemize HVAC work separately and explain any adjustment to the usage profile. |
| Electrical service | Show whether the main panel is retained or upgraded, with permit and utility coordination included. |
| City completion process | Get the application reference and required completion documents; distinguish them from SDG&E approval. |
A comparison to ask for
If the proposal bundles new air conditioning, solar and a battery, get a price and scope for each. Then ask the solar model to use the expected cooling load after the equipment change, with the old usage retained as a separate comparison. Otherwise the same reduction can appear in both sales estimates.
Verify the company behind the El Cajon quote
Match the business name and license number on each El Cajon proposal to the CSLB record, then use our contractor verification steps, the quote comparison guide and the PPA, loan, lease and cash comparison.
Permit fees and the filing route are on the El Cajon solar cost and permit page.
El Cajon solar quote questions
How long does an El Cajon solar permit take?
The City says a conforming residential project can be permitted through its SolarAPP+ site in about 30 minutes, with no plans required. Batteries have been eligible for that route since January 2026. Projects that do not conform, and owner-builder projects, go through regular permitting.
Do El Cajon solar customers have to change rate plans?
Yes, for new systems. San Diego Community Power says Solar Billing Plan customers must be on the EV-TOU-5 time-of-use rate.
Does a quick permit mean my El Cajon system can operate immediately?
No. Have the installer identify the city completion steps and SDG&E interconnection approval separately. The contract schedule should cover both.
How do I compare a combined solar and cooling quote?
Separate the equipment and installation prices. Ask which future cooling usage was assumed so the solar and HVAC projections do not both claim the same savings.
Before you sign anything in El Cajon
Two of the contract terms that most often change what a quote really costs.
Ask for a competing quote
Start with the utility on your bill and what you pay in a typical month. Contact details come after that. Submitting does not guarantee that a provider will quote your project.
California Rate Relief is a referral service. We are not a licensed contractor. California Rate Relief is compensated by a solar provider when a homeowner we refer signs an agreement. How we make money
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